Never Stopped Looking
by SeaStar720
Summary: Set a couple weeks after chapter 59 of the BSD manga. SPOILER WARNING. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE CAUGHT UP. Poe hasn't stopped looking for Ranpo ever since he went missing. He doesn't find him, but Karl has a knack for running in the right direction. Very fluffy. (yes it is tagged as friendship and romance because they're best friends but also boyfriends)


Poe was nothing short of exhausted.

His feet hurt, constantly. His shoulders ached, he hadn't been sleeping. He hadn't slept more than maybe 11 hours since Ranpo went missing, and that was weeks ago.

Maybe months. Poe had no sense of time anymore. But it likely wasn't months.

He hadn't written anything. He was barely eating. He just - couldn't stop looking. He knew Ranpo was out there somewhere, and if he stopped looking, it meant abandoning his rival. His friend...

The man he loved, if he was being honest.

It was another day, turning into night, and his efforts had been fruitless yet again. By now he had gone over Yokohama at least once, and was now going over it again, because he had to be _somewhere_, he had to be somewhere in this city.

Poe was cold. Karl shivered on his shoulder, and Poe frowned, petting him before trying to coax him under his coat.

The raccoon refused, though, and after a moment, he jumped from his perch, sniffing the air. In another second, he was gone. "Karl!" He shouted, hurrying after him. "Now is not the time to go searching for dinner!"

The animal guided Poe down the alleyways, twisting and turning. He was going somewhere, somewhere important, and Poe's confusion only grew.

"Karl - _where are you going_?!" He cried, jogging faster to keep up with him. Then Karl stopped out of nowhere, scurrying on top of a lump. A breathing, bloody lump.

A ragged, battered and bruised Ranpo.

Poe's eyes widened, and he lurched forward. "R - Ranpo-kun! Ranpo-kun, oh my god!" He crouched by the crumpled form of his friend, pulling him to his chest and cradling his head. "Wake up - please, wake up. Talk to me."

There was a mumble, and Poe felt like he was about to cry tears of relief. Then, he heard a soft - "Poe-kun?"

He began to actually cry as he nodded, rocking them back and forth. Ranpo's voice was hoarse, sounding too rough on the ears, but Poe didn't mind. "It's me, Ranpo-kun. We found you. I haven't - I haven't stopped looking." He ran a hand through the dark, dirty locks of hair, and Ranpo began to tremble.

"I - I was scared, you know," he whispered, his voice brittle, and Poe nodded. "But I knew…"

Ranpo lifted his head, gazing up at Poe. His eyes were wide, and scared. With his glasses on, they were focused, focused on him, and Poe felt himself shiver. He wasn't used to this sort of attention.

"There were times when - I thought I might die. And honestly, there was only one thing that I regret not doing before all of this _shit_ with the Decay of Angels…" He clenched his jaw, then reached up and wound a hand in Poe's tangled hair. "That one thing was, well…" he tugged the other down, down, and then their lips were touching, and Poe short-circuited.

Ranpo was kissing him. And it took Poe too long, but eventually, he got himself to unfreeze, and he began kissing back.

Holy shit. He was kissing Ranpo. And then they pulled away and were both breathing heavy and he had no clue how to function.

"Are you - did - is every - head?" Poe stumbled over words, trying to find the right ones, the right question, before Ranpo just pulled him down again, and he let himself melt into it, his hand resting on Ranpo's side while the other stayed in his hair.

Only when they needed air again did he pull away, and then he began moving aching joints, rising to his feet. "Let's… I want to go home."

Poe knew he was talking about his mansion without even asking, so he nodded and held Ranpo close as he began the walk home.

"First order of business… I need a shower," Ranpo said quietly, and Poe nodded, rubbing over his back in a way that made Ranpo shiver, so he stopped. "I… I don't think I can stand up long enough to, uh…" _Do it on my own_.

Poe blinked, then a blush burst onto his features. "Ranpo-kun, we only just had our first kiss, I don't think showering together is -"

"- relax, it's only because I'm injured and bathing would be disgusting," Ranpo explained, and although Poe sighed and agreed, he was still a bit uneasy.

They got home, and while Ranpo started heading to the nearest bathroom, Poe kissed Karl over his face. "I will give you so many treats later," he whispered before he went to go check on Mushitarou and get towels.

The man was still hunched over a page, talking to himself. By now he had a rather large stack of them, and Poe was relieved and proud. He seemed to be doing alright, now.

Maybe Poe could start getting better, then.

He slipped out of the room again, grabbing towels and a change of clothes for both of them as he went back to the bathroom. When he stepped in, Ranpo was seated on the lid of the toilet, struggling to get his clothes off. So Poe stepped over and eased his hands down to his sides before he started on the buttons. "Just breathe, Ranpo-kun. Relax. You're safe now."

Ranpo's lower lip wobbled, and he nodded, lowering his head. Poe didn't say anything else, turning the shower on and quietly undressing them both. Once he finished, he helped Ranpo up, leading him into the shower stall.

Ranpo had to be supported the entire time, and Poe tried to keep from getting too flustered over this but this was unfamiliar and he felt awkward.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to wash them both, and when they were out, he wrapped them both in towels, drying and dressing himself, and then he turned back to Ranpo, who was struggling but refused help.

"Poe-kun," he started once he was dressed, and he ran the towel through his hair again before he stepped forward, tucking his head under Poe's chin. "Thank you," is all he says after that, and then Poe feels a surge of bravery.

"I never would have stopped searching," he whispered, leaning back and tilting Ranpo's head up before kissing him.

Things could be different tomorrow, after they've both gotten proper rest. But tonight was there. And one night was good enough for Poe.


End file.
